Cave? Tomb!

Kouchi noticed that Itachi behind him had stopped, and his heart sank slightly.

He stopped abruptly, turned around, and feigned extreme displeasure, looking at the weasel standing motionless outside the cave entrance, his voice full of impatience:

Why stop?

Itachi did not answer immediately.

He simply stared at the bottomless cavern, pondered for a moment, and cautiously replied:

"Orochimaru most likely lured us here on purpose. The inside of this cave is very likely a trap he set beforehand."

"Perhaps we should..."

"So, you think we were forced to come here with him because of someone else?"

Hearing Koko's merciless sarcasm, Itachi choked on the words he was about to say.

The knocking interrupted Itachi's words. Feigning impatience, he said in a deep voice:

"So what if there are traps inside? Are we going to abandon the mission just because of that and let that stinky snake slip away right under our noses?"

Stop spouting this useless nonsense. My time is precious and can't be wasted like this.

As he spoke, he made it clear that he was no longer going to pay attention to the weasel and walked straight into the cave.

"Etc!"

Almost instinctively, Itachi reached out and touched Koko's shoulder.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch the doorknob, he suddenly realized our current relationship, and his hand froze in mid-air, not falling.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint of malice flashed in Itachi's eyes, and he slowly withdrew his hand, merely trying to stop Kou's footsteps with his voice.

He turned his head and asked in a cold voice:

What else do you want to say?

Itachi gathered his thoughts, his voice regaining its usual calm and coherence:

"Orochimaru most likely deliberately orchestrated our entry into this cave, intending to use its complex terrain and dark environment to fight us."

I've faced him head-on once, so he knows very well that he has no chance against me, who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan.

He paused, then turned his gaze back to the bottomless cavern, and said in a solemn tone:

"But once inside the cave, in the darkness, it becomes very difficult for me to pinpoint his location, and it also makes it extremely difficult to use Sharingan Genjutsu on him."

In stark contrast to me, Orochimaru, who possesses the heat perception abilities of snakes, was able to accurately detect our every move even in complete darkness.

Furthermore, he is far more familiar with the terrain of this cave than we are, giving him a significant natural advantage in combat here.

Itachi spoke solemnly, a deep sense of apprehension flashing in his Sharingan:

"If Orochimaru cannot be quickly subdued using the Genjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he is by no means easy to deal with."

so..."

"Enough!!"

The knocking sound suddenly rose in pitch, abruptly interrupting Itachi's unfinished words.

Itachi looked at Koko's sudden and intense reaction, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"All you've been saying is about your own situation."

Kouchi feigned anger and coldly stared at Itachi:

"You seem to have forgotten one thing: I am not only an Uchiha with the Three Tomoe Sharingan, but also a sensory ninja."

Even without the Sharingan, I can detect Orochimaru's movements.

"But..."

Itachi opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but after hesitating for a moment, he swallowed back all the words he was about to utter.

Seeing Itachi's hesitant expression, he finished speaking for him:

"You mean to say that—with my sensory abilities, it's very likely I wouldn't be able to keep track of Orochimaru's movements in this kind of environment at all times, am I right?"

Itachi looked at Koko silently, opened his mouth as if to say something more tactful and acceptable.

But in the end, he said nothing.

Silence is the best answer.

"Hmph hmph hmph--Hahaha!!"

Kou suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter echoed in the empty cave entrance, sounding particularly jarring.

Looking at Kokoro's current state, Itachi's eyes flashed with a rare hint of helplessness.

The laughter from the knocking stopped abruptly.

He lowered his head, his Three Tomoe Sharingan coldly locking onto Itachi's eyes through a few strands of black hair.

"You haven't changed at all."

The sound of knocking suddenly turned cold:

"As always, their arrogance is nauseating."

Itachi's body froze instantly.

He stared blankly at Kou, as if he had never expected him to say such a thing.

Ignoring Itachi's shocked gaze, Koko continued speaking in an icy tone:

"From beginning to end, you have been measuring this impending battle from your own perspective and by your own standards."

You've completely excluded me from your calculations because, in your subconscious, I, with my Three Tomoe Sharingan, have always been inferior to you.

"My opinions, my abilities, my judgments... are not worth taking seriously in front of you, a genius with those Mangekyō Sharingan."

Kou slightly tilted his head, looking directly into Itachi's eyes, as if trying to peer through the scarlet iris into the depths of his soul:

Even if you know nothing about me now.

After saying this, Kou stopped looking at Itachi's completely frozen face.

He turned around, leaving the boy, who was still frozen in place, as if struck by the string of words into the deepest part of himself that he himself was unwilling to admit, behind him.

He strode forward, heading towards the bottomless cave without looking back.

As he walked, he casually tossed out his final words to the still-silent person behind him, in a tone as if he were casually mentioning a trivial matter:

"Oh, by the way, there's something I need to thank you for."

Koko slowly turned his gaze, coldly sweeping his eyes over Itachi's still-stunned face.

"You've made me realize once again just how incredibly annoying you are!"

After saying this, he kowtowed and stepped into the dark cave without looking back.

The echoes of his last words still lingered in the air...

Itachi stood silently in place, motionless.

His hands hung at his sides, his left hand still awkwardly suspended in mid-air, his fingertips slightly curled, but he wasn't grasping anything.

After a moment of silence, he slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

The shape of that arc could barely be called a "smile," but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes.

After a moment, Itachi looked again at the darkness that had completely swallowed up Koko's back.

In those crimson Sharingan, the bitterness and confusion in his heart had been completely suppressed and pushed back into the deepest recesses of his soul.

Without further hesitation, he took a step forward and followed behind Kou into the cave...

Deep within the cave, listening to the footsteps finally catching up behind him, a slight smile played on his lips in the darkness, revealing a knowing look.

Finally, you've taken the bait, you weasel!

Brother Kou's provocation tactic -- a great victory!!

Kou suppressed his excitement and looked into the darkness ahead.

That place was the tomb of Uchiha Itachi's direct ancestor from the Warring States Period.

"I'm sorry, ancestor of the Uchiha."

Looking straight ahead, I sincerely apologized in my heart:

"I've brought your eldest son, the most filial son, to dig up your grave..."

(The plan went wrong; the foreshadowing might have to wait until later. ꒦ິ^꒦ິ.)

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival!